Mojave County is currently at odds with a confederacy of Native American tribes in northern Arizona and is preparing to oppose the proposed Barge Nuwavjoyter Kukuveni Grand Canyon National Monument.
The monument was proposed this year by the Federation of Grand Canyon Tribes seeking federal protection for 1.1 million acres of land west of the Grand Canyon. According to a statement earlier this month by court officials, designating the land as a national monument will help permanently protect the landscape that is unique to tribal heritage throughout the region. But for Mojave County, the land itself is home to undeveloped uranium deposits, and he could bring a $29 billion economic impact to the economies of northern Arizona and Utah. tribal demands.
The Grand Canyon Federation of Tribes includes the Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Kaibab Paiute, Moapa Paiute, Las Vegas Paiute, Utah Paiute, Navajo Nation, San Juan South Paiute, Yavapai Apache, and Zuni tribes. Includes Pueblo tribes. and the Colorado River Indian Tribe. Their request for monument designation has already been approved by US Congressman Raul Grijalba (D-Tucson) and US Senator Kirsten Cinema (D-Arizona).
The disputed area is located in Mojave County’s First Supervisory District. Mojave County officials say they are focused on protecting the land, but what lies beneath it could provide the area with much-needed growth.
The Mojave County Board of Supervisors will vote Monday on whether to turn in a letter to President Biden, Grijalva, Cinema, Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), and others. Formal name.
County officials say there could be as much as 375 million pounds of uranium under the proposed 1.1 million-acre monument, which would be enough to produce nuclear energy across California for 22 years. is enough for The region has some of the finest uranium resources in the United States, containing his third of all known uranium deposits in the United States. There are additional sources found in Canada, Australia and South Africa.
The county’s letter of opposition to the memorial was written by First Ward Superintendent and Mojave County Commissioner Travis Lingenfelter.
“Mojave County and neighboring Utah could have great economic potential with environmentally friendly uranium mining outside of the Arizona Strip national parks,” said Ringenfelter. I’m here.
According to Lingenfelter, President Obama’s moratorium on uranium mining in the area in 2012 hampered Mojave County’s potential growth and job opportunities, and reduced economic growth opportunities for Native Americans and other taxpayers. was also stolen.
“We respect and take our responsibility to protect the Grand Canyon seriously,” Lingenfelter said. It was a concern that it could be…they had no evidence of water contamination, and no evidence of problems with the safe operation of active uranium mines on those lands.
Mining poses no danger to Grand Canyon, county says
Mining of the known uranium deposits in the area could be completed within seven years, Lingenfelter said, and the mining facilities will return to pristine condition after these deposits are safely removed.
“Arizona must return to its mining roots,” said Lingenfelter. “Strict federal and state environmental laws already in place protect the public from environmental damage to the Grand Canyon watershed.”
By law, disputed areas are exempt from pit mining. The Grand Canyon itself will not be endangered by uranium mining in Mojave County, Lingenfelter said. The actual mining will take place hundreds of miles from Grand Canyon National Park, Lingenfelter said.
“When considering proposals, we ask that they go through the parliamentary approval process,” Lingenfelter wrote. “(The Antiquities Act) is intended to protect and preserve sites of historical and cultural significance, not necessarily to restrict public access or to restrict economic growth and development. is not.”
“The national monument provides safety to the Grand Canyon,” Grijalva said in a statement earlier this month. “It provides safety for Native Americans and tribes looking deeper and deeper into the Grand Canyon.”
Grijalva has called for more than a decade to end uranium mining in the Grand Canyon, even after former President Barack Obama issued a 20-year moratorium on uranium mining in the region in 2012. Since 2015, the Republican Party has maintained a majority in the U.S. Senate, leading to the defeat of bills in the past five years.
US Congressman Paul Gosser (R-Prescott) in 2019 called the effort a “million-acre land grab” that could damage local economies and threaten national security.
Former President Donald Trump has tried to ease restrictions on uranium mining in Mojave County, but Biden publicly said in 2020 that he supports protection from such mining near the Grand Canyon.
Modern technology and mining practices may make uranium mining in northern Arizona less dangerous, but this is not always the case.
From 1944 to 1986, mining companies mined 4 million tons of uranium from Navajo Indian lands, which the US government purchased for use in nuclear weapons. Although the U.S. government and Arizona mining companies agreed to stricter regulations on uranium mining in 1984, the Environmental Protection Agency warned members of the Navajo tribe who worked in those mines to suffer kidney failure and kidney failure related to uranium contamination. Reports long-term fatal outcomes, including cancer.
Since 2007, EPA has worked with Navajo authorities to address human health and environmental risks associated with past uranium mining in and around the Navajo Nation. Most recently, the EPA enacted her 2020 “Ten-Year Plan”, incorporating goals and milestones for the evaluation and ongoing cleanup of previous mining sites.
